Skimmer Search and Selection

[Mattb1612]

So I have had two skimmers and I’ve seemed to struggle with both them. I have had a reef octopus 150-s and aqua maxx cone-2 skimmer. My major issue is I can never get them dialed in and skimming that dark skim. I’ve tried everything and I can never get a dark skim mate on them. So I’ve starting looking for a new skimmer and I need help. I’m looking for a skimmer for a 180 gallon tank. I want it to be relatively easy to dial in. I’m also curious what skimmer people are using and having the most success with. My current option have been: Nyos, bubble mags curve 7, sca302. My current stock list: 3 clowns,yellow tang, hippo tang, powder blue, leopard wrasse and Melanesia wrasse. I really want a skimmer to be able to handle a big bio load and be straight forward. Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

 

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[YHSublime]

I have the reef octopus 110 int. It's been one of the better skimmers I've had once I've gotten it dialed in to be honest. 

 

On what I consider to be my most successful tank, I had an Avast CS3 on a 150, with I'd say a pretty heavy fish load, and tons of coral that never got a real chance to grow out. I've had a bunch of CS1's that have all been configured differently, and I think that's part of the problem with finding a sweet spot, is they were all designed or built by hobbyists for specific tanks. First skimmer I ever had was a euroreef, haha. That's my experience. 

[flooddc]

I owned many skimmer brands (IO  , WON, RO, AVAST, Aqua C, ASM, eshopp, ATI...) over the years of reefing and found that the majority of them are pretty much similar with respect to the venturi types operation. I found that it's really come down to the pump. A good and reliable pump will improve the skimmer performance.

 

I think the RO and Aqua Maxx that you have had are pretty good skimmers and should be pretty easy to dial in. Sometime it's just need a tiny tune to get it to where you want. Also, to ME, just because some post a pic of a nasty dark skimmate, it does not mean that individual have the same result the next. I found my skimmates varies each time I clean my skimmer collection cup. Sometime it little wet than other as there are time I feed more and sometime I feed my fish less. 

I believed all you need is just tune it a little and let it sit for a few days to see the results. GL

[epleeds]

It all depends on your budget. I am running an ATB 1050a on my 200 and I love it.

 

I’m under the viewpoint that the skimmer is one of the most important items for your tank. But the best one you can afford and it will last you for the life of the tank.

[Origami]

Dark dense skimmate normally comes from skimming fairly dry. That only comes from lower water levels and a somewhat long neck that allows for the bubbles to coalesce and dry out (aka draining the foam) as they rise upward. If a lot of air is being sucked into the pump, then more air has to escape through the neck. If the neck is too narrow, or there's a whole lot of air to move, then the velocity through the neck is high and the chances of skimming wet are increased. If a tank doesn't have much in the way of skimmable organics in it, skimming dry will net you very little skimmate. Skimming wet comes from higher water levels in the neck and less time (and distance) for the bubbles to merge. 

 

Wet skimming will remove more organics overall because less flows back into the water during the foam-draining. However, it's less efficient - removing more salt water from the tank - and can gradually dilute the salinity in your tank (as salt water is removed and is replaced by your topoff system). It's normally not a huge problem so long as you're compensating for it in your water changes. 

 

You may find some utility in this article from 2006. I've bookmarked the part on Wet vs. Dry Skimming. 

[gioNVA]

I'm surprised that you are struggling with those 2 skimmers.  I've owned the 150s and also have an Aquamaxx CO1 and both worked really well for me.  Easy to dial in and I've gotten really stinky and dark skimmate.  Does the water level in your sump fluctuate at all?  And how high is the water in your skimmer area? 

[Mattb1612]

Hey everyone thanks for the advice. Maybe I will stick with the aqua maxx and keep playing with it. My water level is stable and my nutrient levels aren’t bad by any means. It sits 71/2 inches in my sump which is the recommended level.I guess I’m envious of that dark skin mate lol. Another question do you see a lot of skim caking the neck of the skimmer. I literally have to scrape the neck every two weeks with a paper towel and RO water. Does that mean I’m doing something wrong?

 

 

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[Origami]

Hey everyone thanks for the advice. Maybe I will stick with the aqua maxx and keep playing with it. My water level is stable and my nutrient levels aren’t bad by any means. It sits 71/2 inches in my sump which is the recommended level.I guess I’m envious of that dark skin mate lol. Another question do you see a lot of skim caking the neck of the skimmer. I literally have to scrape the neck every two weeks with a paper towel and RO water. Does that mean I’m doing something wrong?

 

 

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No, you're not doing anything "wrong." I have an Avast Marine Swabbie retrofitted on my skimmer. It scrapes the neck twice a day automatically under control by my Apex. This helps to maintain the skimmer performance as gunk on the neck can degrade performance if allowed to build up. A number of years ago, there were designs for "wet neck" skimmers that used a sheet of water cascading down the inside of the neck to keep it clean. That is a sort of testimony that gunk in the skimmer neck is quite normal. Just part of your tank maintenance routine.

[flooddc]

Hey everyone thanks for the advice. Maybe I will stick with the aqua maxx and keep playing with it. My water level is stable and my nutrient levels aren’t bad by any means. It sits 71/2 inches in my sump which is the recommended level.I guess I’m envious of that dark skin mate lol. Another question do you see a lot of skim caking the neck of the skimmer. I literally have to scrape the neck every two weeks with a paper towel and RO water. Does that mean I’m doing something wrong?

 

 

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That's normal. It's should goes from neck all the way to the top of the collection cup. 

[zygote2k]

Hands down best skimmer I ever owned and currently run on a few different tanks are the ETS and MRC downdraft skimmers.

All 3 are over 15 years old and are super consistent.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Hands down best skimmer I ever owned and currently run on a few different tanks are the ETS and MRC downdraft skimmers.

All 3 are over 15 years old and are super consistent.

I also liked HSA Beckett skimmers they were spot on. Anything with a mazzei injector and the right pump will perform just as good imo. Needle wheel skimmers are good but they make too many models and really I don't see how the shape is going to make a difference on these smaller tanks and skimmers. You could put a becket or mazzei injector on a box and put a cup at the top and it it would do great

 

Keep in mind, whatever your putting into the tank is what your pulling out. So if your feeding just a few fish then your not going to be getting much skim. I also like to focus on feeding quality frozen foods. Pellets work but I see the chain of life become much more prevalent when feeding a wide variety of frozen foods, and most corals improve in health.

[zygote2k]

I worked on a research project last summer and found that wet, lightly colored skimmate pulls the most organics out and the darker and drier it gets, the less is pulled out.

[Origami]

I worked on a research project last summer and found that wet, lightly colored skimmate pulls the most organics out and the darker and drier it gets, the less is pulled out.

That's consistent with stuff I've seen, too. Skimming wet removes more total organics (but takes more water) while skimming dry is more efficient (because it takes less water out).

 

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